Missing Teeth

What can be done about missing and gappy teeth?

At Museum Dental Suites patients often come to see us concerned about the fact that they have lost a tooth or teeth and have a gappy smile, asking for our advice about remedying the situation.

Here are five options to consider to deal with a missing tooth:

Do nothing at all - This is all very well but many people will feel very self-conscious to have a big gap where they are missing a tooth. And more than that, where a tooth is missing it will affect other teeth allowing them to move and fill the vacant position. The bite can be affected, as well, making the pressure on other teeth uneven.

Traditional Bridgework - The conventional dental approach has been bridgework to ‘bridge the gap’ when teeth are missing. But in traditional bridgework, teeth on each side of the gap will be ground down and then used as posts to attach the fixed bridge to. That being said the resulting bridge would usually last many years but would need regular maintenance and care to make sure any failures are caught early and fixed.

Implants - Implants involve placing a post (most commonly made of titanium) into the jawbone at the site where the tooth is missing. Once the post ‘is accepted’ by the body, a crown will be placed on it. This will prevent the loss of further jawbone from the missing tooth site and will most accurately replace a natural tooth and its function. It will also stop other teeth moving towards or into the space left by a missing tooth.

Composite Bridgework - This is an alternative to the traditional bridgework where a bridge is built out of a microfibre reinforced composite resin material and has the advantage that the teeth on either side of the missing tooth do not need to be ground down. There is still an issue around cleaning with this, and a lot of care needs to be taken over caring for composite bridgework.

Removable Bridge - Another option to span the gap of a missing tooth is a removable bridge. There are different styles of this kind of bridges. Because they can be removed these types of bridges allow for good cleaning around the teeth. But if they do not fit well they can be uncomfortable.

A possible sixth option? Work is being done at the moment to explore the possibility of growing new teeth from stem cell research. This is very much in its early stages but we will keep you informed as the situation changes.

Pricing varies for treatment. Bridges start from £1800 per tooth to be replaced and implants are £2600 per tooth. A full set of fixed teeth top and bottom can be an excellent option when all your teeth are missing and can be placed by our experienced dental implant specialists.

Our dentists will be happy to talk over your options with you, At the cutting edge of dentistry and responsible for teaching other dentists the latest dental techniques, you will find all our expert dentists, trustworthy and gentle and ready to discuss your dental issues, whatever they are.